Holliday, Cook key Rockies' win over Padres

Matt Holliday had a home run and scored four runs, Ryan
Spilborghs hit a go-ahead solo home run and starter Aaron Cook
took care of the rest as the Rockies rolled past the San Diego
Padres, 10-2, on Wednesday.

Holliday also tallied the eighth four-hit game of his career and
finished a triple shy of the cycle.

The Rockies won their 15th consecutive game at Coors Field when
scoring at least five runs. Overall this season, the team is
23-3 at home when plating five or more runs.

After a rocky start, Cook (7-6) tossed the sixth complete game
of his career, allowing two runs and seven hits. The
28-year-old righthander did not walk a batter and struck out two
to improve to 5-0 against the Padres at Coors Field.

"I just went out there and kept throwing strikes and they kept
swinging and putting the ball in play," Cook said. "The guys
made great defensive plays behind me. I only struck out two
guys, so it's not like I was out there doing it by myself. It's
a whole team effort."

San Diego took a one-run lead in the first after a leadoff
single by Brian Giles, a double by Michael Barrett and an RBI
single from Adrian Gonzalez.

However, Cook limited the damage by getting Khalil Greene to
ground into a 6-4-3 double play, which plated Barrett from
third, before getting Russell Branyan to fly out to end the
inning.

"I felt like they didn't hit the ball hard on the three hits
they got in the first," Cook said. "I just needed to go back
out there and keep throwing strikes."

Cook scattered four hits in the subsequent eight innings and
received more than enough run support. He threw only 74
pitches, the fewest by any major league pitcher in a nine-inning
complete game since Minnesota's Carlos Silva had 74 on May 20,
2005 vs. Milwaukee.

Spilborghs drove in three runs in the game, highlighted by his
seventh home run of the season in the fifth inning which broke a
2-2 tie. Garrett Atkins added three hits and also finished
with three RBI for the Rockies, who blew the game open with
seven runs after the fifth inning, including a four-run sixth.

San Diego starter Justin Germano (6-5) was pinned with the loss
after allowing six runs, seven hits and one walk while striking
out one in five-plus innings.

Holliday hit his 18th home run of the season in the bottom of
the first inning and, after a reaching on a ground-rule double
in the fourth, scored the tying run on Atkins' two-out single.

"We talked about hitting is contagious," Hurdle said. "It just
seems to loosen people up. Three, five and seven in the lineup
showed up big today for us."

After Spilborghs' shot in the fifth, Colorado pulled away in the
sixth.

"Cook just kept getting better and we couldn't get anything
done," Padres manager Bud Black said. "The Cook-Holliday
combination was really good today. When a guy is on, he is on.
Throw all the history out the window. He had it working
today."

Holliday ignited the outburst with an RBI double. Atkins added
a two-run single later in the frame and moved to third when
Branyan, the left fielder, misplayed the ball. Atkins scored on
sacrifice fly by Spilborghs.

"The Dodgers are in first place so tomorrow is the start of an
important series," Holliday said. "We have our work cut out for
us. We are going to need Cook to pitch like that to have a
chance at the wild card or winning the West."

NLAT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATESOLO HOME RUN BY RYAN SPILBORGHS (7) TO CENTER WITH 0 OUT IN THE 5TH OFF JUSTIN GERMANO.CURRENT SCORE: SAN DIEGO 2, COLORADO 3DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C IANNETTA (.184, 0-FOR-1)

NLAT COLORADO - SCORING UPDATESOLO HOME RUN BY MATT HOLLIDAY (18) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN THE 1ST OFF JUSTIN GERMANO.CURRENT SCORE: SAN DIEGO 2, COLORADO 1DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T HELTON (.303, 9 HR, 55 RBI)